tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91107597355467435302024-02-18T22:34:23.535-05:00Charlotte County YMCACharlotte County Family YMCAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198027950449209254noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110759735546743530.post-12990576585989335342012-08-07T15:20:00.000-04:002012-08-07T15:22:33.434-04:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12pt; margin: 7.5pt 0in 15pt; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<b><span lang="EN" style="color: #88a906; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Need a reason to work out? Here are 7 to start.</span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By </span><a href="http://www.webmd.com/kathleen-m-zelman"><span style="color: #3789b9; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD</span></a><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">WebMD Feature<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What if someone told you that a thinner, healthier, and longer life was within your grasp? Sound too good to be true? According to a wealth of research, </span><a href="http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/default.htm"><span style="color: #3789b9; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">exercise</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is the silver bullet for a better quality of life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not only does regular exercise aid in </span><a href="http://www.webmd.com/diet/default.htm"><span style="color: #3789b9; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">weight loss</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, it reduces your risk for several chronic diseases and conditions. Finding activities that you enjoy and that become part of your daily routine is the key to a long and healthy life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The list of health benefits is impressive, and the requirements are relatively simple -- just do it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="color: #88a906; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ward Off Disease<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Research has confirmed that any amount of exercise, at any age, is beneficial. And, in general, the more you do, the greater the benefits. The National Academy of Sciences has recommended that everyone strive for a total of an hour per day of physical activity. Sounds like a lot, but the hour can be made up of several shorter bursts of activity (it can be walking, gardening, even heavy housecleaning) done throughout the day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Physical activity is an essential part of any weight-loss program, to maximize your fat loss while keeping valuable muscle mass. But exercise has many other health and longevity benefits. It can help prevent or improve these conditions:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">1. Heart Disease.</span></b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> Regular activity strengthens your heart muscle; lowers blood pressure; increases "good" cholesterol (high-density lipoproteins or HDLs) and lowers "bad" cholesterol (low-density lipoproteins or LDLs); enhances blood flow; and helps your heart function more efficiently. All of these benefits reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease, and <a href="http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/default.htm"><span style="color: #3789b9; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">high blood pressure</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Researchers at Duke University suggest that the amount of physical activity, rather than its intensity, has the biggest impact on improving blood lipids (cholesterol). According to <i>The New England Journal of Medicine</i>, these researchers also found that any exercise is better than none -- although more is better.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">2. Stroke.</span></b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> In an analysis of 23 studies, researchers found that being active reduces your risk of having and dying from a stroke. According to a study published in the journal </span><i><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Stroke</span></i><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">, moderately active study participants had 20% less risk of stroke than less active participants.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">3. Type II Diabetes.</span></b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> This disease is increasing at alarming rates -- by 62% since 1990 -- and 17 million Americans now have it. Physical activity can enhance weight loss and help prevent and/or control this condition. Losing weight can increase insulin sensitivity, improve blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and reduce blood pressure -- all of which are very important to the health of people with diabetes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In a study published in the <i>Annals of Internal Medicine</i>, Frank Hu, MD, of the Harvard School of Public Health found that a brisk walk for one hour daily could reduce the risk of type II diabetes by 34%.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">4. Obesity.</span></b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> Overweight and obese conditions can be prevented or treated with exercise along with a healthy diet. Activity helps to reduce body fat and increase muscle mass, thus improving your body's ability to burn calories. The combination of reduced calories and daily exercise is the ticket to weight loss. And controlling obesity is critical, as it is a major risk factor for many diseases. Lowering your body mass index (BMI) is a sure way to reduce your risk of dying early and to live a healthier life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">5. Back Pain.</span></b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> Back pain can be managed or prevented with a fitness program that includes muscle strengthening and flexibility. Having good posture and a strong abdomen is the body's best defense against back pain.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">6. Osteoporosis.</span></b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> Weight-bearing exercise (such as walking, jogging, stair climbing, dancing, or lifting weights) strengthens bone formation and helps prevent the osteoporosis or bone loss often seen in women after menopause. Combine a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D with regular weight-bearing exercise for maximum results.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">According to <i>The Journal of the American Medical Association</i>, data from the Nurses' Health Study showed that women who walked four or more hours per week had 41% fewer hip fractures than those who walked less than an hour a week.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">7. Psychological Benefits.</span></b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> Improved self-esteem is one of the top benefits of regular physical activity. While exercising, your body releases chemicals called endorphins that can improve your mood and the way you feel about yourself. The feeling that follows a run or workout is often described as "euphoric" and is accompanied by an energizing outlook. Exercise can help you cope with stress and ward off depression and anxiety.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And these are just a few of the ways exercise improves your health. Studies have suggested it can also help with certain types of cancer, improve immune function, and more.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>lbattleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15528206544751287019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110759735546743530.post-68787668163521321462012-07-12T12:17:00.001-04:002012-07-12T12:17:05.674-04:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.8pt; margin: 12pt 0in 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Fitness for Kids Who Don't Like Sports </strong> </span></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Publication: Kidshealth.org</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reviewed by: </span><a href="http://kidshealth.org/parent/misc/reviewers.html"><span style="background: white; color: #0066cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mary L. Gavin, MD</span></span></a><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Date reviewed: February 2012</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Team sports can boost kids' self-esteem coordination, and general fitness, and help them learn how to work with other kids and adults.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But some kids aren't natural athletes and they may tell you — directly or indirectly — that they just don't like sports. What then?</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Why Some Kids Don't Like Teams</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not every child has to join a team, and with enough other activities, kids can be fit without them. But try to find out why your child isn't interested. You might be able to help address deeper concerns or steer your child toward something else.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tell your child that you'd like to work on a solution together. This might mean making changes and sticking with the team sport or finding a new activity to try.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Here are some reasons why sports might be a turnoff for kids:</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Still Developing Basic Skills</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Though many sports programs are available for preschoolers, it's not until about age 6 or 7 that most kids have the physical skills, the attention span, and the ability to grasp the rules needed to play organized sports.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kids who haven't had much practice in a specific sport might need time to reliably perform necessary skills such as kicking a soccer ball on the run or hitting a baseball thrown from the pitcher's mound. Trying and failing, especially in a game situation, might frustrate them or make them nervous.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What you can do:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Practice with your child at home. Whether it's shooting baskets, playing catch, or going for a jog together, you'll give your child an opportunity to build skills and <a href="http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/staying_fit/exercise.html"><span style="background: white; color: #0066cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">fitness</span></a> in a safe environment. Your child can try — and, possibly, fail — new things without the self-consciousness of being around peers. And you're also getting a good dose of quality together time.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Coach or League Is Too Competitive</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A kid who's already a reluctant athlete might feel extra-nervous when the coach barks out orders or the league focuses heavily on winning.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What you can do:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Investigate sports programs before signing your child up for one. Talk with coaches and other parents about the philosophy. Some athletic associations, like the YMCA, have noncompetitive leagues. In some programs, they don't even keep score.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As kids get older, they can handle more competitive aspects such as keeping score and keeping track of wins and losses for the season. Some kids may be motivated by competitive play, but most aren't ready for the increased pressure until they're 11 or 12 years old. Remember that even in more competitive leagues, the atmosphere should remain positive and <a href="http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/sportsmanship.html"><span style="background: white; color: #0066cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">supportive</span></a> for all the participants</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stage Fright</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kids who aren't natural athletes or are a little shy might be uncomfortable with the pressure of being on a team. More self-conscious kids also might worry about letting their parents, coaches, or teammates down. This is especially true if a child is still working on basic skills and if the league is very competitive.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What you can do:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Keep your expectations realistic — most kids don't become Olympic medalists or get sports scholarships. Let your child know the goal is to be fit and have fun. If the coach or league doesn't agree, it's probably time to look for something new.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Still Shopping for a Sport</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Some kids haven't found the right sport. Maybe a child who doesn't have the hand-eye coordination for baseball has the drive and the build to be a swimmer, a runner, or a cyclist. The idea of an individual sport also can be more appealing to some kids who like to go it alone.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What you can do:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Be open to your child's interests in other sports or activities. That can be tough if, for instance, you just loved basketball and wanted to continue the legacy. But by exploring other options, you give your child a chance to get invested in something he or she truly enjoys.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Other Barriers</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Different kids mature at different rates, so expect a wide range of heights, weights, and athletic abilities among kids of the same age group. A child who's much bigger or smaller than other kids of the same age — or less coordinated or not as strong — may feel self-conscious and uncomfortable competing with them.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kids also might be afraid of getting injured or worried that they can't keep up. Kids who are overweight might be reluctant to participate in a sport, for example, while a child with asthma might feel more comfortable with sports that require short outputs of energy, like baseball, football, gymnastics, golf, and shorter track and field events.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What you can do:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Give some honest thought to your child's strengths, abilities, and temperament, and find an activity that might be a good match. Some kids are afraid of the ball, so they don't like softball or volleyball but may enjoy an activity like running. If your child is overweight, he or she might lack the endurance to run, but might enjoy a sport like swimming. A child who's too small for the basketball team may enjoy gymnastics or wrestling.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Remember that some kids will prefer sports that focus on individual performance rather than teamwork. The goal is to prevent your child from feeling frustrated, wanting to quit, and being turned off from sports and physical activity altogether.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Try to address your child's concerns. By being understanding and providing a supportive environment, you'll help foster success in whatever activity your child chooses</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fitness Outside of Team Sports</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Even kids who once said they hated sports might learn to like team sports as their skills improve or they find the right sport or a league. But even if team sports never thrill your child, there's plenty a kid can do to get the recommended 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Free play can be very important for kids who don't play a team sport. What's free play? It's the activity kids get when they're left to their own devices, like shooting hoops, riding bikes, playing whiffleball, playing tag, jumping rope, or dancing.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kids might also enjoy individual sports or other organized activities that can boost fitness, such as:</span> </div>
<ul>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">swimming</span></div>
</li>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">horseback riding</span></div>
</li>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">dance classes</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.2pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 51pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">inline skating</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.2pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 51pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">cycling</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.2pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 51pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">cheerleading</span></div>
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<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.2pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 51pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">skateboarding</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">hiking</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.2pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 51pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">golf</span></div>
</li>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">tennis</span></div>
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<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.2pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 51pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">fencing</span></div>
</li>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">gymnastics</span></div>
</li>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">martial arts</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.2pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 51pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">yoga and other fitness classes</span></div>
</li>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ultimate Frisbee</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.2pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 51pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">running</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Supporting Your Kid's Choices</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.8pt; margin: 12pt 0in 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Even if the going's tough, work with your child to find something active that he or she likes. Try to remain open-minded. Maybe your child is interested in an activity that is not offered at school. If your daughter wants to try flag football or ice hockey, for example, help her find a local league or talk to school officials about starting up a new team.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You'll need to be patient if your child has difficulty choosing and sticking to an activity. It often takes several tries before kids find one that feels like the right fit. But when something clicks, you'll be glad you invested the time and effort. For your child, it's one big step toward developing active habits that can last a lifetime.</span></div>
lbattleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15528206544751287019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110759735546743530.post-9387580477791635292012-06-25T11:38:00.001-04:002012-06-25T11:38:04.502-04:00<h1 class="page-title ">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">But I Don't Want To! Secrets to Self-Motivation</span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">by Kate Luther</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />Published: 07/12/<span class="date">12</span><br />Wisebread.com<br /><!-- editors pick block below image --> </span></div>
<div class="body">
<!-- midarticle: first half --><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When I sat down to write this piece, I thought the “slant” was pretty obvious. There are, after all, only a few things that truly motivate us to move in one direction or another: fear, money, love, and hate. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The key to self-motivating, then, is to find a way to apply those triggers on a day-to-day basis, thereby “tricking” ourselves into getting things done. Unfortunately, this kind of self-manipulation will only produce limited results because when you get right down to it, you’re either motivated to do something or you’re not. Some of us thrive on setting goals and then seeing what we can accomplish, while others don’t feel that thrill at all. Maybe you just haven’t found your passion yet, or maybe there’s not enough fear or money to get you moving. Whatever it is, the “fire” has yet to be lit, and only you can be the one to answer why.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">That’s when I realized that my original slant for this article isn’t really the slant you need. I mean, we all know how to bite the bullet and get something done when we have to. But what about when those powerful prompts simply don’t exist? Or worse, what happens when you have to overcome those motivators in order to move in a different and conceivably better direction?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Truth be told, it’s much easier to motivate us to fail or settle than it is to motivate us to succeed. We’ll stay in unsatisfying jobs, for example, because we need the money and we have bills that must be paid. We’ll stay in equally unsatisfying relationships, too, because we’re simply too afraid to leave and venture out on our own.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As a result, much of what we don’t accomplish isn’t because we’re not motivated; it’s because we’re being motivated in a different direction Therein lies the real question — <em>how can you overcome those traditional motivators to steer your life down a better path?</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Well, in true Wise Bread fashion, I’ve come up with a short list of hacks to help you get out of your own way. Here they are, in no particular order.</span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Eat That Frog</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This is something that I picked up from Simple Truths, and it’s become my mantra for getting things done. Eat that frog simply means to tackle the worst job first (eating the frog), and then the rest of the day is, well, cake.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For my daughter, that means doing her math homework. For me, it means cleaning out my office. But once we’ve done those horrible, distasteful jobs, everything else on our to-do list looks much more appealing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For this philosophy to work, you have to be willing to rip off the band aid and jump in. You know that it’s going to sting a little, but you also know that the pain is temporary, and once it’s done, it’s done. The same is true with those things in life that we don’t want to do. Maybe they’re painful and unpleasant, but if we can just plow through them, we’ll ultimately be glad we did. And everything else that follows will seem simple in comparison to choking down that frog.</span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Face Your FEAR</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I’ve seen a number of different acronyms for the word FEAR over the years, but there are a few that I think were created specifically with self-motivation in mind, and they work together seamlessly to hold you back and minimize your growth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The first is <em>Frantic Effort to Avoid Reality</em>. Let’s face it — we’re creatures of habit. We don’t like change, and we’ll resist and struggle desperately to stay within our bubble, even when we might actually want or need whatever results the change might bring.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As part of our Frantic Effort, we <em>Find Excuses And Reasons</em> that we can’t do whatever it is we need to do. These excuses and reasons help us justify putting the thing off indefinitely, while we create <em>False Expectations About Reality</em>. This is where we really excel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We have a knack for making mountains out of molehills, and then allowing those seemingly impossible set of circumstances to influence our decision on how to move forward. The truth is often much less dramatic than we make it out to be in our minds, but we’ll allow these False Expectations to keep us from something to the point that <em>Failure (is) Expected And Received</em>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Now, what’s really interesting about this scenario is that when we do fail — or fail to try — we’ll say it was out of our hands. We knew this was going to happen and there was nothing we could do to avoid it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The funny thing is though, our success never stood a chance against our FEAR, and we could have saved ourselves a great amount of worry and stress by just announcing to the world that we weren’t even going to attempt this particular step in our evolution.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But then, where’s the fun in that, right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So before you work yourself into a frenzy, see if you can face your fear instead. What is it that you’re really afraid of? Are there truly absolutely awful things that could occur, or are you just setting up those False Expectations?</span></div>
</div>lbattleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15528206544751287019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110759735546743530.post-29460704942916857762012-06-21T14:46:00.000-04:002012-06-21T14:46:47.817-04:00<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Family Tips for a Successful Summer</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">By Liza N. Burby, Better Homes and Gardens.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Originally published in Better Homes and Gardens magazine, May 2006.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Believe it or not, school's just about out. Hectic schedules heavy with homework and activities will soon yield to the more laid-back pace of summer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So what's to stress about? Maybe plenty. "Children -- and parents -- often find transitions difficult, and the school-to-summersummer change removes many of the structures, routines, and expectations that children rely on," says Scott L. Barking, a psychologist in Brooklyn, New York, and father of three school-age children.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"Many parents go into summer with a wish and a hope, rather than a plan for what they want to accomplish," says Virginia Shiller, a psychologist in New Haven, Connecticut, and author of Rewards for Kids! (Magination Press). "The end result can be a chaotic household with whining children who complain they're bored, argue with each other, and just generally get in Mom's hair." Here are ways to help your family slip into summer with a minimum of mayhem.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Summer Plans As Shiller says, a successful summer is a well-planned one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Let the kids have input when planning summer activities. Suggest outings such as picnic lunches and day-trips to the aquarium or museum to stoke your kids' imaginations, then ask them for their ideas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Keep them apprised of camp dates, daycare, family trips, and other plans by giving them a detailed calendar. This helps them visualize what's ahead and how to prepare.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Set up regular play dates now before vacation schedules make it tough to reach friends, says Jen Singer of Kinnelon, New Jersey, creator of the Web site MommaSaid.net.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Routines </strong>All children benefit from clear expectations and some structure during the summer months, says Barking, CEO of the Block Institute, a nonprofit agency that serves developmentally delayed children and adults.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Children need adequate sleep year-round for their development. Have set wake-up and bed times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Maintain regular meals too. Poor summer habits such as skipping breakfast or excessive snacking will come back to haunt your kids next school year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Establish daily routines, such as family game time after chores or morning walks for the dog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But don't overschedule. Children need downtime to explore, create, and relax.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Feed the Brain </strong>Many children experience academic slippage during the summer, which can make it difficult for them to get back on track when school starts again, says Stacy DeBroff of Newton, Massachusetts, author of The Mom Book Goes to School: Insider Tips to Ensure Your Child Thrives in Elementary and Middle School (Free Press). Fight academic amnesia by keeping kids intellectually engaged throughout summer.</span><br />
<br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Set aside a regular reading routine. Many libraries offer children's reading clubs with a theme, such as detective books or science fiction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Keep your children physically active by limiting video game, computer, and TV time. Take family bicycle rides or walks, play hopscotch, or shoot hoops.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Maintain kids' writing skills by encouraging them to keep a journal of their summer experiences. "Above all, have fun together," says Barking. "All too soon it will be back-to-school time."</span>lbattleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15528206544751287019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110759735546743530.post-46353042494421008672012-06-14T14:43:00.003-04:002012-06-14T14:43:57.068-04:00<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Many Benefits of Pilates Exercise</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A Top 10 List of Great Reasons to Do Pilates</span></span></span><br />
<h2>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #4d4a42; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Excerpt pulled from following source:<br />Marguerite Ogle, About.com Guide </span><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Updated February 16, 2012</span></i></span><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #4d4a42; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: 7.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our </span><a href="http://www.about.com/health/review.htm"><span style="color: #3366cc;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Medical Review Board</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>1. Pilates is Whole-Body Fitness</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Unlike some forms of exercise, Pilates does not over-develop some parts of the body and neglect others. While Pilates training focuses on core strength, it trains the body as an integrated whole. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>2. Adaptable to Many Fitness Levels and Needs</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Whether you are a senior<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> just starting to exercise, an elite athlete or somewhere in between, the foundations of Pilates movement apply to you. Building from core strength, focusing on proper alignment, and a body/mind integrative approach make Pilates accessible to all. </span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>3. Creates Strength Without Bulk</strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Long, lean muscles are the name of the game here. In Pilates, we are not looking to build muscles for show. We are building toned muscles that work perfectly within the context of the body as a whole, and the functional fitness</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> needs of a person as they move through life. </span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /> </span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>4. Increases Flexibility</strong></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In Pilates, we work toward a safe increase in length and stretch of the muscles and range of motion within the joints. You won't find quite as much "pretzel logic" in Pilates as you might in yoga, but a body that can stretch and bend to meet the flow of life is a very realistic goal.</span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>5. Develops Core Strength</strong></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The core muscles of the body are the deep muscles of the back, abdomen, and pelvic floor. These are the muscles we rely on to support a strong, supple back, good posture, and efficient movement patterns. When the core is strong, the frame of the body is supported.</span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>6. Improves Posture</strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Good posture is a reflection good alignment supported by a strong core. It is a position from which one can move freely. Starting with Pilates movement fundamentals and moving through mat and equipment<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> exercises, Pilates trains the body to express itself with strength and harmony. You can see this in the beautiful posture of those who practice Pilates.</span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>7. Increases Energy</strong></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It might seem like a paradox, but the more you exercise, the more energy you have and the more you feel like doing (to a point, of course). Pilates gets the breath and circulation moving, stimulates the spine and muscles, and floods the body with the good feelings one gets from exercising the whole body. </span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>8. Promotes Weight Loss and Long, Lean Appearance</strong></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If you practice Pilates regularly, it will change your body. Known for creating long, strong muscles and a leaner look; Pilates improves muscle tone, balances musculature, supports beautiful posture, and teaches you to move with ease and grace. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>9. Increases Awareness - Body/Mind Connection</strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Joseph Pilates was adamant that Pilates, or contrology as he called it, was about "the complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit." This is one of the secrets of Pilates exercise: we practice each movement with total attention. When we exercise in this way, the body and mind unite to bring forth the most benefit possible from each exercise. The Pilates principles -- centering, concentration, control, precision, breath, and flow -- are key concepts that we use to integrate body and mind.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>10. There are Many Ways to Learn Pilates</strong></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Pilates instruction is easy to come by these days. The ever-growing popularity of Pilates has put it on the map all over the world. This is good because when you start Pilates training, it is important to start with live Pilates instruction at a studio or gym, and preferably from a </span><a href="http://pilates.about.com/od/becomingandinstructor/a/BasicCert.htm"><span style="color: #3366cc; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">certified</span></span></a><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> instructor. </span></span></span></div>
lbattleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15528206544751287019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110759735546743530.post-25647221803912233412012-06-05T14:12:00.000-04:002012-06-05T14:12:30.301-04:00Fitness and Your 2- to 3- Year Old<h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">What Kids Can Do</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's important to understand what kids can do and what skills are appropriate for this age. By age 2, toddlers should be able to walk and run well. They may be able to kick a ball and jump in place with both feet. By age 3, toddlers typically are able to balance briefly on one foot, kick a ball forward, throw a ball overhand, catch a ball with stiff arms, and pedal a tricycle.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Keep these skills in mind when encouraging your child to be active. Play games together and provide age-appropriate active toys, such as balls, push and pull toys, and riding vehicles. Through practice, your child will continue to improve and refine his or her motor skills.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mommy-and-me programs can introduce toddlers to tumbling, dance, and general movement. But you don't have to enroll kids in a formal program to foster these skills. The most important thing is to provide lots of opportunities to be active in a safe environment.</span><br />
<h3 id="a_Family_Fitness_Tips">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Family Fitness Tips</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kids who like to engage in active play now are likely to stay active and be physically fit in the future. Walking, playing, exploring your backyard or using playground equipment at a local park can be fun for the entire family.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also, these games provide fun and fitness for parents and toddlers:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Walk like a penguin, hop like a frog, or imitate other animals' movements.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sit facing each other and hold hands. Rock back and forth and sing the song "Row, row, row your boat."</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bend at the waist and touch the ground. Walk your hands forward and inch along like a caterpillar.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sit on the ground and let your child step over your legs, or make a bridge with your body and let your child crawl under.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Play follow the leader, "Ring around the rosy," and other similar games.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Listen to music and dance together.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The possibilities are endless — come up with your own active ideas or follow your child's lead. Also, limit the amount of time your child spends watching TV (including DVDs and videos) or playing on a computer.</span><br />
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<div id="a_What_Kids_Can_Do">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Reviewed by:<br />Mary L. Gavin, MD<br />Medical Editor, KidsHealth<br />Nemours Center for Children's Health Media<br />Division of General Pediatrics<br />Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children<br />Wilmington, DE</span></div>lbattleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15528206544751287019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110759735546743530.post-4574279047064794722012-04-13T14:28:00.002-04:002012-04-13T14:32:32.852-04:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Tips for Eating Healthy When Eating out</span></b><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 24pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Resource: United States Department of Agriculture/ChooseMyPlate.Gov</span></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As a beverage choice, ask for water or order fat-free or low-fat milk, unsweetened tea, or other drinks without added sugars.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ask for whole-wheat bread for sandwiches.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In a restaurant, start your meal with a salad packed with veggies, to help control hunger and feel satisfied sooner.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ask for salad dressing to be served on the side. Then use only as much as you want.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Choose main dishes that include vegetables, such as stir fries, kebobs, or pasta with a tomato sauce.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Order steamed, grilled, or broiled dishes instead of those that are fried or sautéed.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Choose a small" or "medium" portion. This includes main dishes, side dishes, and beverages.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Order an item from the menu instead heading for the "all-you-can-eat" buffet.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If main portions at a restaurant are larger than you want, try one of these strategies to keep from overeating: </span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Order an appetizer-sized portion or a side dish instead of an entrée.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Share a main dish with a friend.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you can chill the extra food right away, take leftovers home in a "doggy bag."</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When your food is delivered, set aside or pack half of it to go immediately.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Resign from the "clean your plate club" - when you've eaten enough, leave the rest.</span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To keep your meal moderate in calories, fat, and sugars: </span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ask for salad dressing to be served "on the side" so you can add only as much as you want.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Order foods that do not have creamy sauces or gravies</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Add little or no butter to your food.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Choose fruits for dessert most often.</span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On long commutes or shopping trips, pack some fresh fruit, cut-up vegetables, low-fat string cheese sticks, or a handful of unsalted nuts to help you avoid stopping for sweet or fatty snacks.</span></li>
</ul>lbattleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15528206544751287019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110759735546743530.post-49585860100199979752012-04-01T20:25:00.000-04:002012-04-01T20:25:06.380-04:00<div style="line-height: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">
<span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">5 Surprising Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight</span></span></div>
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<a href="" name="0.1_graphic02"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><a href="http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20568347_2,00.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0076a3; font-size: 10pt;"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beat the weight loss plateau</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Denny Watkins</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />From </span></span><a href="http://www.health.com/health/service/magazine" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0076a3; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;">Health </span><span style="color: #0076a3; font-size: 10pt;">magazine </span></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You’ve been walking the straight and narrow—counting calories, working out—and yet you’re not dropping pounds. What gives? The answer may be hiding out amid the random things you do over the course of an average day—those little habits that have seemingly no connection to weight loss, but may in fact be sabotaging your best get-fit efforts.</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Ask yourself these questions, and if you answer yes to any of them, you may have found your personal diet defeaters. Outwit them and you’ll soon be back on track to a leaner, fitter you. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you always eat "healthy"?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A funny thing happens when you focus on making careful diet decisions. If you just "think" of your meal as a light choice, it can cause your brain to make more of the hormone ghrelin, reports a study from Yale University.</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />"More ghrelin makes you feel less full and signals your metabolism to slow down," says study author and PhD candidate Alia Crum. To keep your ghrelin balanced, focus on the more indulgent parts of your meal—say, the nuts and cheese on your salad, rather than the lettuce.<br /><br />It also helps to pick foods that are both healthy and seem like a treat, like a warm bowl of soup with crusty whole-grain bread. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you pay with plastic?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Carrying cash may feel a little last century, but people who use a credit card when grocery shopping buy significantly more unhealthy, calorie-dense food than people who pay cash, according to a study in the <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;">Journal of Consumer Research</span>.</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Junk-food buyers were perfectly aware of the extra calories and cost of those treats, but since they didn’t feel the immediate hit in the wallet, they gave in more easily to impulse buys, explains study co-author Kalpesh Desai, PhD, associate professor of marketing at Binghamton University.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you think about exercise a lot?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There’s a downside to that, says a new French study: Simply thinking about exercise can cause you to eat 50% more. Why? People assume that the upcoming workout gives them license to snack.</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Avoid excessive munching with a pre-gym snack of no more than 150 calories, advises Keri Glassman, RD, author of <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;">The Snack Factor Diet</span>. Try two slices of turkey with whole-grain crackers. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you laser-focused at work?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sit for just a few hours and your body stops making a fat-inhibiting enzyme called lipase, researchers at the University of Missouri–Columbia found.</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Stand and stretch every hour, and you’ll boost your metabolism by about 13%, says research published in <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;">The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition</span>.<br /><br />Or, fidget all day (tap your feet or bounce in your chair) and increase calorie burn by 54%.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you sleep too little?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Not enough shut-eye puts your body into a carb- and fat-craving survival mode," says Michael Breus, PhD, author of <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;">The Sleep Doctor’s Diet Plan</span>. A study in <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;">The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition</span> found that women who slept fewer than four hours ate 300 more calories and 21 more grams of fat the next day.</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Try this to gauge your sleep needs: For a week, go to bed seven and a half hours before you need to get up. If you awaken before the alarm, you can get by with less sleep. But if you hit snooze, you may need eight, even nine, hours a night to wake up refreshed, recharged, and ready to burn some fat. </span></span></div>lbattleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15528206544751287019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110759735546743530.post-77750699535885521272012-03-25T21:46:00.001-04:002012-03-25T21:46:58.260-04:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Clarendon;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><strong>15 Ideas for Family Fitness<br /></strong></span><span style="font-size: small;">Kids these days are spending too much time sitting still, and it’s becoming a major health risk. American children 8 years old and above spend an average of 6.5 hours a day engaging with media technologies including watching TV, using the computer and playing video games.1 Studies have shown that the more TV kids watch, the more likely they are to be overweight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Univers-Light;">Increasing physical activity improves cardiovascular fitness, helps prevent obesity, promotes a healthy lifestyle, boosts self-esteem and confidence, and reduces stress. You don’t need to have a lot of fancy equipment or a membership at a health club—there are many ways to make your family’s lifestyle more active.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Univers-Light;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To overcome resistance from reluctant youngsters, it helps to make the activity fun. For example, don’t just run with a young child—run like a penguin or hop like a kangaroo! Or have a destination like the park or zoo!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Clarendon;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are 15 ideas for getting your family on the move:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Univers-Light;">Take active vacations (hiking, swimming, skiing).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Univers-Light;">At the mall or when running errands, use the stairs rather than the elevator. Get pedometers and have a contest to see who takes the most steps in a given week.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Univers-Light;">•</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Univers-Light;">Start a new tradition: take the whole family out for an after-dinner walk around the neighborhood or park.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Univers-Light;">Take on active chores as a family (gardening, raking leaves, shoveling snow, or washing the car).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Univers-Light;">Spend an afternoon at the local playground.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Univers-Light;">Play a sport together (basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, touch football).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Univers-Light;">Dance to your favorite music.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Univers-Light;">Go for a family bike ride.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Univers-Light;">Play miniature golf.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Univers-Light;">Go to the zoo.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Univers-Light;">Take the dog for a long walk.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Univers-Light;">Whenever possible, walk short distances rather than using your car. When you drive, park a little farther away from the store.</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">15.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Univers-Light;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Play games that your kids love (tag, Simon Says, Red Light- Green Light, Duck-Duck Goos<br /><br />Source: </span><a href="http://www.pta.org/"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.pta.org</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (National PTA®)</span></span><span></span></div>lbattleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15528206544751287019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110759735546743530.post-53831840663316252742011-12-16T12:24:00.000-05:002011-12-16T12:24:20.142-05:00New Year’s Resolutions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPLKWx_0FjRKmGDiFm3xjs2-yN33CKN-So02_H14t3gMGpAgcxzPbNVa1Toy9hGAW6CGGBFD4fuXfVP_bZ45t9WV0nXqdZd4txLydjhRXkncZhXqV6YTFmXtY91OlrD8mFQNo8fNUXxs/s1600/thumbnailCA73QFFH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; height: 137px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 211px;"><img border="0" height="150" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPLKWx_0FjRKmGDiFm3xjs2-yN33CKN-So02_H14t3gMGpAgcxzPbNVa1Toy9hGAW6CGGBFD4fuXfVP_bZ45t9WV0nXqdZd4txLydjhRXkncZhXqV6YTFmXtY91OlrD8mFQNo8fNUXxs/s200/thumbnailCA73QFFH.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The New Year is a time for new beginnings! For the Y – a leading nonprofit that strengthens community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility – one of the most important resolutions is to resolve to make positive changes that strengthen individuals as well as entire communities. Following are </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">five New Year’s Resolutions the Y recommends for 2012:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">1.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Live Healthier </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">– Achieving greater health and well-being is all about taking small steps. Take care of your health by eating nutritious foods and being physically active each day – experts recommend 30 minutes of daily physical activity for adults and 60 minutes for kids. This can be achieved throughout the day by i</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">ncorporating physical activity into your daily routines (i.e., taking stairs instead of elevators, walking instead of driving, etc.) </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Y offers many fun opportunities for individuals and families to be active. Visit <a href="http://www.charlottecountyymca.com/">http://www.charlottecountyymca.com/</a> to learn more. </span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">2.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Volunteer </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">– Doing good feels good, and giving back to support neighbors benefits everyone involved. Volunteering also provides individuals the opportunity to meet new people and to develop new relationships. Find an opportunity in your community that you may enjoy, such as cleaning your neighborhood park or distributing food at a local food bank. Volunteer opportunities are available at our Y for child watch, giving tours and the Y-READS program. Contact your branch for an application.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">3.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Help Inspire Children and Teens, Be a Mentor</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> – Children and teens often need caring adults to look up to and seek guidance. By nurturing our youth, we can help them strive to accomplish success and reach their full potential. Whether a relative or neighbor, use your experience and talent to help youth realize who they are and what they can be. The Charlotte County Family YMCA offers a variety of mentoring programs. Learn more at <a href="http://www.charlottecountyymca.com/">http://www.charlottecountyymca.com/</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">4.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Learn Something New</span><a href="" name="OLE_LINK2"></a><a href="" name="OLE_LINK1"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> </span></span></a></span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1;"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK2;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">–</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> Step out of your comfort zone, have fun and grow by exploring personal interests. Is there a swimming, Zumba or painting class you’ve always wanted to take? Try something new that you’ve always wanted to do, to build your spirit, mind or body. Find opportunities at the Charlotte County Family YMCA.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">5.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Spend Time with Family and Friends </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">– Socializing is good for your well-being and spending time with the people you care most about really helps strengthen meaningful relationships. It also helpful to have a community of people you can reach out to during times of need. So, try to carve out time each month, depending on your schedule, to connect with family and friends, and to get involved with community organizations, such as the Charlotte County Family YMCA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>Charlotte County Family YMCAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198027950449209254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110759735546743530.post-21030396993224994312011-07-17T21:30:00.001-04:002011-07-17T21:33:48.923-04:00Childhood Obesity: An epidemic we can't ignore.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGBiVgjkjN0V-sN67Wk0imCiqTpFFYS6YdG02YomF203Cde1-hipgdumSf3TNecPH98UryTKMJEx3vh0YuTD82OgVq6Yq0f5S3L7zZ8CKa0ohB6WzMr4sM_4CC3UoSww1Icd3yzVUOSE/s1600/40249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGBiVgjkjN0V-sN67Wk0imCiqTpFFYS6YdG02YomF203Cde1-hipgdumSf3TNecPH98UryTKMJEx3vh0YuTD82OgVq6Yq0f5S3L7zZ8CKa0ohB6WzMr4sM_4CC3UoSww1Icd3yzVUOSE/s200/40249.jpg" width="178" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Y recommends reading the Surgeon Generals </span><a href="http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/factsheet06.pdf"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Call to Action"</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> with ideas and tips on how to prevent and overcome obesity. One of the main I things a parent can do is set a good example. A parent certainly wouldn't let their young child smoke cigarettes, but getting them set up at an early age for heart disease may be more harmful than that. Here are my favorite tips from the Call of Action:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1. Stock the refrigerator/cabinets with healthy foods.</strong> Of coarse a child will pick cookies over veggies if given the choice! If it's not in the house, they won't eat it and will be forced to choose something healthy if they are really hungry. (Whining may happen, but oh well. If they whined for cigarettes, it would be a hands down NO!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>2. Discourage eating in front of the TV.</strong> I know that when I'm distracted, I eat faster, and this goes for children too. By slowing down and listening to their bodies, they will know when they are full.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>3. Don't use food as a reward or withhold it as a punishment. </strong>I'm guilty of this one: "Finish your dinner or you won't get dessert!" This trains kids that they should eat when they are not hungry to get dessert. If dessert is a reward, it's associated with feeling good, hence "Comfort Food."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>4. Be active for at least 60 minutes a day.</strong> This may seem like a no-brainer, but it's something that many kids aren't doing. Provide safe environments for kids to play (swimming, biking, etc.) and have certain hours of the day where no tv or video games are allowed. (If whining ensues, see #1.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even with extremely overweight children, weight loss should be gradual. You should never put a child on a strict diet (unless supervised by a physician) but you should teach them healthy eating habits right from the start. While my kids and I aren't overweight, we do eat quite a bit of fast food and it's something that I know I need to change. Now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">-<a href="mailto:jborasch@charlottecountyymca.com"><span style="color: #2288bb;">Jeannine Borasch</span></a>, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">MS in Exercise Science & Health Promotion</span>Charlotte County Family YMCAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198027950449209254noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110759735546743530.post-29613679095533046812011-07-08T22:28:00.001-04:002011-07-08T22:30:02.211-04:00Gym Shoes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUddYYgSgmvlP9xEhlzjhm5t6Iqv0oDYTfbES4ihuN64tjWSQ2MDJ5gWysgdhY4ox_98JOxw4388d64-_NtjaeCdKfO19a6A38LF3J4sk5gZXQZ7foxUAEfUX5lDR-1HV1MF011_wl18/s1600/sdc10687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUddYYgSgmvlP9xEhlzjhm5t6Iqv0oDYTfbES4ihuN64tjWSQ2MDJ5gWysgdhY4ox_98JOxw4388d64-_NtjaeCdKfO19a6A38LF3J4sk5gZXQZ7foxUAEfUX5lDR-1HV1MF011_wl18/s320/sdc10687.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've got to admit, shopping for gym shoes can be challenging. There are so many brands and styles to choose from that it can be overwhelming. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Here are a few tips that I have to make it a little less painful:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Find brands you like and stick with it. My favorite brands are Saucony and Avia because they fit my feet well. New Balance has cute styles but they don't fit well on me so I don't bother. This helps narrow it down!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Walmart and store brands are great for lots of things, but I don't recommend it for workout shoes. It's worth the investment in decent shoes because it affects your feet and knees and you'll go through them so quickly that you'll have wished you'd gotten better shoes in the first place.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Look for sales! You don't need to purchase the new style $150 shoes to get a decent pair. Outlet stores like Marshalls and TJ Maxx sell name brand shoes for less.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. My (humble) opinion is that shoes do not need to be "broken in." If they are uncomfortable in the store, don't buy them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. This may seem obvious, but bring a pair of socks that you normally wear to the store to try on with the shoes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is your favorite brand?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">-<a href="mailto:jborasch@charlottecountyymca.com"><span style="color: #2288bb;">Jeannine Borasch</span></a>, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">MS in Exercise Science & Health Promotion</span>Charlotte County Family YMCAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198027950449209254noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110759735546743530.post-80823518844340597232011-07-05T13:30:00.003-04:002011-07-05T13:38:13.235-04:00REAL Zumba Video<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gvpuHEuwDzw?fs=1" width="480"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love how this video shows real people doing Zumba, not only Fitness Models. This is what a real Zumba class is like- there are people of all ages and levels. It's really fun and not intimidating at all. (You can always stand in the back if you're nervous!) Zumba is included in your </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">membership</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">! If you're not a member, you can try out a class for free:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.charlottecountyymca.com/fitness.php"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Franz Ross Park YMCA</span></a>:<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Wednesdays at 7:45pm, Fridays at 6:15pm and Saturdays at 9:35am.</span><br />
<a href="http://www.charlottecountyymca.com/fitness.php"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">North Port YMCA</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">: Wednesdays at 10am and Saturdays at 11am.</span><br />
<a href="http://www.charlottecountyymca.com/fitness.php"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Punta Gorda YMCA</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">: Mondays at 5pm, Wednesdays at 9:45am and Fridays at 8:30am.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">-<a href="mailto:jborasch@charlottecountyymca.com"><span style="color: #2288bb;">Jeannine Borasch</span></a>, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">MS in Exercise Science & Health Promotion</span>Charlotte County Family YMCAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198027950449209254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110759735546743530.post-28926645964110661262011-07-02T22:15:00.002-04:002011-07-02T22:25:42.376-04:004 Healthy Tips for the 4th<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CEsNZq-HSMrY6qAJDZ-ip4_RD6V1E_5RQAAJ7AUGjhAshPiB4qsUHN__HLw4XzohQMbBcx94b7VfPn981P6-O0Qj8IdjaSL-e8N8P_pT3cNwe25kD6MXu2gDXSSozYWe1vD5i84Qypg/s1600/julyfourthstrawberry-GrinBakeIt-viaDognBird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CEsNZq-HSMrY6qAJDZ-ip4_RD6V1E_5RQAAJ7AUGjhAshPiB4qsUHN__HLw4XzohQMbBcx94b7VfPn981P6-O0Qj8IdjaSL-e8N8P_pT3cNwe25kD6MXu2gDXSSozYWe1vD5i84Qypg/s200/julyfourthstrawberry-GrinBakeIt-viaDognBird.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don't worry, one day of indulging isn't going to undo all of your hard work, but that doesn't mean you should go crazy and eat everything in sight. Here are my 4 Healthy Tips for enjoying the 4th of July:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>1. Drink lots of water.</strong> Before you arrive to the party, bring a 16 oz bottle of water and drink it. Before dessert, drink another 16 oz. Often times we are really thirsty and we eat instead. Try not to waste calories on sugary drinks or beer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>2. Start a healthy tradition.</strong> The City of North Port is having their </span><a href="http://www.cityofnorthport.com/index.aspx?page=19&recordid=3553&returnURL=%2Findex.aspx"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4th Annual Firecracker 5k Run</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> this year at Dallas White Park at 7:30am. (Only $15 and you can sign up the day of!) Waking up early and walking/running 3.1 miles will surely make you feel great and think twice about what you eat the rest of the day. Ok, maybe until 11am, but still... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>3. Moderation.</strong> Are those cute American Flag cupcakes haunting you? Have half of one. Still hungry? Dig into that fruit salad for something sweet and healthy. Try to use a small plate if possible.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>4. Do not keep (or take home) left-overs.</strong> If those beautiful cupcakes from #3 sit in your refrigerator, you're going to eat them. (Do not "keep them for the kids." ha!) Send them home with other guests or (gasp!) throw them away. By Tuesday when you're ready to go back to the </span><a href="http://www.charlottecountyymca.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Y</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> you'll be really grateful you did.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">-<a href="mailto:jborasch@charlottecountyymca.com"><span style="color: #2288bb;">Jeannine Borasch</span></a>, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">MS in Exercise Science & Health Promotion</span>Charlotte County Family YMCAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198027950449209254noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110759735546743530.post-5111321961714634492011-06-30T21:03:00.004-04:002011-06-30T21:06:28.252-04:00Gym Etiquette...for Dummies!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsanYlDtAsCvxb8bi41ekT1P-qZOkk28AcTYQZmyCjaFsIydGjBIO_kawix_vR_zTs0ccfQUkP5dG5IcSuoD6_uQjmGoyoafpdIwsf51vlGOWRq7TLimqZ3Ki4bhJosdEQSxiVFt6ppE/s1600/dummies_logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsanYlDtAsCvxb8bi41ekT1P-qZOkk28AcTYQZmyCjaFsIydGjBIO_kawix_vR_zTs0ccfQUkP5dG5IcSuoD6_uQjmGoyoafpdIwsf51vlGOWRq7TLimqZ3Ki4bhJosdEQSxiVFt6ppE/s1600/dummies_logo.gif" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Great (perhaps obvious) tips by the "For Dummies" series: </span><a href="http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/mastering-gym-etiquette.html#.Tg0axNHM57U.blogger"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mastering Gym Etiquette - For Dummies</span></a>. <br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>My favorite tip:</strong> When you've removed a weight plate from a bar or when you finish using a pair of dumbbells, return the weights to their designated spot on the rack. Never leave dumbbells or barbells on the floor when you're finished using them. Someone may trip on the weights.</span> </div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">-<a href="mailto:jborasch@charlottecountyymca.com"><span style="color: #2288bb;">Jeannine Borasch</span></a>, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">MS in Exercise Science & Health Promotion</span> </div>Charlotte County Family YMCAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198027950449209254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110759735546743530.post-47251937059824851942011-06-28T17:40:00.001-04:002011-06-28T17:42:23.901-04:00I Hate to Exercise.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDeeQmO91R-pPMmwAQzhAtEg210sxO6lkfZ8kB8FkIMyEB9bWW_PGOvUpNNv7WD2DdI02XucsQ53v7cen1qLZR5eSFT55bO8zzwCqAarE1MUuvYTa_8jNo2G_9WTzFJxRI-NXZrLkyJoQ/s1600/129060-341x500-lifting-weight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDeeQmO91R-pPMmwAQzhAtEg210sxO6lkfZ8kB8FkIMyEB9bWW_PGOvUpNNv7WD2DdI02XucsQ53v7cen1qLZR5eSFT55bO8zzwCqAarE1MUuvYTa_8jNo2G_9WTzFJxRI-NXZrLkyJoQ/s320/129060-341x500-lifting-weight.jpg" width="218" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ok, I don't anymore, but I used to. Years ago just the thought of working out made me tired. After taking care of the kids all day and cooking and cleaning and all the other stuff I had to do, the last thing I wanted to do was go to the gym. My energy hit an all-time low and I was feeling depressed. I knew that exercise would help, but I just didn't know how to get motivated. At a conference I heard some advice that for me would be life-changing. If you like music, only listen to it at the gym. Books on tape? Only listen to it at the gym. TV? Only watch it while your at the gym. It could even work for a favorite game you like to play on your phone. It seemed so simple so I tried it, and you know what? It worked. I downloaded some really great songs and only allowed myself to listen to it at the Y. Pretty soon I was also addicted to the feeling I had on days I worked out. (The few hours of free <a href="http://www.charlottecountyymca.com/groupexercise.php">childwatch</a> didn't hurt either!) What could be your motivation?</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">-<a href="mailto:jborasch@charlottecountyymca.com">Jeannine Borasch</a>, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">MS in Exercise Science & Health Promotion</span>Charlotte County Family YMCAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198027950449209254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110759735546743530.post-19402286758712767962011-06-26T15:12:00.002-04:002011-06-28T17:42:03.576-04:00Running for Kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJg6qwfLS7BT1k2qiEfCIZCYGCDYAr2AAFyikBMOtWoQGyixXyfwnSTBFRt3uD68vrRwG_vjtfHI76YpD-Kyfy3SlAGyZ2NtGJFGL9BhGt_K8WK-euVl886p2IzphVClHmSO8QLhe6WB8/s1600/2372753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJg6qwfLS7BT1k2qiEfCIZCYGCDYAr2AAFyikBMOtWoQGyixXyfwnSTBFRt3uD68vrRwG_vjtfHI76YpD-Kyfy3SlAGyZ2NtGJFGL9BhGt_K8WK-euVl886p2IzphVClHmSO8QLhe6WB8/s320/2372753.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We all know that kids who are active are healthier than those that are sedentary. However, due to budget cuts, many physical fitness programs in schools are being cut leaving it up to the parents to help get their children moving after school. The local </span><a href="http://www.zoomersrun.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Zoomers Running Club</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is finishing up a Youth Fun Run Series for kids where kids met up once a week for 5 weeks by the </span><a href="http://www.charlottecountyymca.com/fitness.php"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">North Port YMCA</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> to run one-mile. After their last run they will have a pool party! All for only $5! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before getting your child in any physical fitness program, make sure to consult their pediatrician. Also make sure they are wearing good quality running shoes that fit properly and encourage them to stretch properly before and after their run. If you are also a runner, this can be a great opportunity for you and your child to bond!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">-<a href="mailto:jborasch@charlottecountyymca.com">Jeannine Borasch</a>, MS in Exercise Science & Health Promotion</span> </span>Charlotte County Family YMCAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198027950449209254noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9110759735546743530.post-87669505847132086562011-06-25T22:22:00.003-04:002011-06-28T17:43:01.126-04:00The Power of Music<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRt79HZobPBU5g8fXPjhRETH2cwHohrqzqW8Q_XD_N7QY13eq0MjzFC9a8qCrtbiYixM3KeH2lv1fCkCWIaI1HEc8q7vljEtxUnQfBcfoqc7u5Mc3wy9v03bhsSgbDiSn20ujWBRqp5TE/s1600/music.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRt79HZobPBU5g8fXPjhRETH2cwHohrqzqW8Q_XD_N7QY13eq0MjzFC9a8qCrtbiYixM3KeH2lv1fCkCWIaI1HEc8q7vljEtxUnQfBcfoqc7u5Mc3wy9v03bhsSgbDiSn20ujWBRqp5TE/s320/music.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From my personal experience, music makes a huge difference in how hard I exercise. During my daily run, I start to lose momentum around mile two and that's when I need to hear something good. After I've flipped through what seems like a zillion songs, I find a newer one that gets me going and I get instantly energized. No doubt it's totally mental because I haven't changed anything physically. But it really does work. Even the pause in between songs gets me tired. Perhaps it's because I can hear myself breathing and I remember how hard I'm working. Is the brain that easily tricked? Does music make a difference in how hard you exercise?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">-<a href="mailto:jborasch@charlottecountyymca.com">Jeannine Borasch</a>, MS in Exercise Science & Health Promotion</span> </span></span></span>Charlotte County Family YMCAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15198027950449209254noreply@blogger.com1